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Dept for Work and Pensions

Answer

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of (a) fraud and (b) error in social security benefits excluding jobseeker's allowance, income support and housing benefit since 1997; and if he will place the results in the Library. [200160] Mr. Pond: The measurement of fraud and error is complex and expensive and therefore it is concentrated on benefits with the highest expenditure and risk of loss, such as income support and jobseeker's allowance. The available information is as follows. Estimates of fraud and error in social security benefits, excluding jobseeker's allowance, income support and housing benefit since 1997 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Results of incapacity benefit review 2001 Category of overpayment Monetary value (£ million) Percentage of expenditure Fraud1 Up to 19 Up to 0.3 Customer error 16 0.3 Official error 22 0.4 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1 This is an upper limit, as insufficient cases of fraud were uncovered in the review to enable a robust central estimate to be made. Note: Results from a National Benefit Review of fraud and error in incapacity benefit were published in 2001. The following estimates were made and relate to the period April 2000 to March 2001. Short-term benefits official error overpayments _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Monetary value (£ million) Benefits covered April 2001 to March 2002 43 1-- April 2002 to March 2003 43 1-- April 2003 to March 2004 53 1-- _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1 Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance. Notes: 1. Annual estimates of official error only are made for short-term benefit overpayments (incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance). 2. Previous results were carried out using a different methodology and are not comparable. 3. These estimates are subject to wide margins of error. Long-term benefits official error overpayments _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Monetary value (£ million) April 2001 to March 2002 43 April 2002 to March 2003 14 April 2003 to March 2004 26 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Notes: 1. Annual estimates of official error only are made for long-term benefit overpayments (retirement pension, widow's benefit and bereavement benefit). 2. Previous results were carried out using a different methodology and are not comparable. 3. These estimates are subject to wide margins of error.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

200160; 428 c1428-9W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Fraud Social security benefits

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk